Seven players who are veterans of the Capital One Orange Bowl were selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft—six of whom participated in the 2018 College Football Playoff (CFP) Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl. The Orange Bowl has now hosted 313 players who were later selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Alabama led all Capital One Orange Bowl alums with four picks in the first round. QB Tua Tagovailoa, offensive MVP of the 2018 game, will return to Hard Rock Stadium and South Florida as the Miami Dolphins selection at No. 5 overall. His teammates Jedrick Wills (OT, No. 10 to Cleveland), Henry Ruggs III (WR, No. 12 to Las Vegas Raiders) and Jerry Jeudy (WR, No. 15 to Denver) all were drafted in the first half of the first round.
Their opponent in that 2018 Playoff Semifinal, Oklahoma, had two players drafted in the first round as WR CeeDee Lamb went at No. 17 to Dallas and LB Kenneth Murray was chosen by the Los Angeles Chargers at No 23.
Rounding out the Capital One Orange Bowl alums chosen in round one was CB C.J. Henderson, who played in this past year’s game for Florida and was selected by Jacksonville with the No. 9 pick.
The 87th Capital One Orange Bowl is scheduled to be played on Jan. 2, 2021 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. and will feature the highest ranked ACC team not in the College Football Playoff against a highly ranked opponent from either the Big Ten, Southeastern Conference or Notre Dame. For ticket information for the 87th Capital One Orange Bowl and all Orange Bowl events, please contact 305-341-4701 or log on towww.orangebowl.org.
Hard Rock Stadium is also scheduled to play host to the CFP National Championship on Jan. 11, 2021. The Orange Bowl Committee led a community-wide effort to bring the CFP National Championship to South Florida.